Current Market Data

3 Sobering Facts About Today’s Skittish Economy

We all know that the economy has improved in recent years, but we also know (and with similar levels of confidence) that there remain considerable hurdles for many Americans in today’s economy. Take a look through our informative graphic

The 6 Ways That Homebuyers Search For Homes

We all know the Internet is prominent, but there are interesting details to how homebuyers search for homes nowadays. It’s no mystery that the Internet is the defining conduit for real estate today, but NAR’s Home Buyer and Seller

Why Soaring Inequality is Terrible For Housing

Everyone should be concerned about rising levels of inequality – especially residential real estate professionals. The Brookings Institution just updated its data metrics on inequality in the U.S.’ largest metro areas, and the results are – to put it

5 Important Details About the Latest New Home Sales Report

Sure, new home sales were up in February, but there’s much more than meets the eye. On the surface, it looks like February was a very positive month for sales of newly built single-family homes. According to the latest

NAR: Existing-Home Sales Increase, Inventory Levels Pose Problem

NAR’s report found existing-home sales improved in February, but those gains were offset by skyrocketing home prices. Existing-home sales increased modestly in February, a report from the National Association of Realtors discovered, but shallow inventories across the country are

Chicagoland Home Sales Regain Footing in February

In the nine-county Chicago Primary Metropolitan Statistical Area, home sales in February totaled 5,611, a decrease of 1.3 percent from Feb. 2014, according to the latest analysis from the Illinois Association of Realtors. Though still a decrease, February’s sales activity

Lion Share of New Construction in Chicago Affordable Only For Affluent Consumers

The single-family home market for new construction has trended towards affluence, and so has the rental market. The last couple months, we’ve been reporting with regularity on how our nation’s issues with inequality have manifested themselves in new construction,

Negative Equity Remains Considerable Problem in Chicagoland’s Lower Price Points

Sure, negative equity has improved overall, but what of properties on the lower-end of price spectrum? Though 25.1 percent of mortgage properties in Chicagoland remain in negative equity, that pales in comparison to the 41.5 percent of properties in

CoreLogic: Equity Returns to Chicago, But City Still Trails Nation

Homeowners are benefiting from rising home prices that improve equity, but that doesn’t mean negative equity still isn’t a problem. Equity continued building in the fourth quarter of 2014, CoreLogic’s newest report concluded, showing that by year’s end, 1.2

Builder Confidence Hits Eight-Month Low in March

Homebuilders are feeling a little less confident this month. A key measure of builder confidence declined this month, with the Housing Market Index (HMI) dropping two points to a level of 53. Released monthly by the NAHB, the HMI tracks

New Construction in February Plunges on Weak Multifamily Activity

The latest construction report looks bad, but as usual, there’s more than meets the eye. The numbers do not warm the heart – last month, housing starts were down 17 percent from January and 3.3 percent from Feb. 2014,

Consumers Demand More From Lenders

TD Bank survey shows what clients want: more information. In the wake of the rebuilding year of 2014, the market, while still in recovery, has been cast in a distinctly more appealing light, as consumers are once again eager

Homeownership Rate Fell to 20-Year Low in 2014, Worse For Younger Americans

Everyone has seen the various reports that the U.S. homeownership rate has fallen in recent years, but how much as it really declined? To find out, we took a deep dive into the Census Bureau’s data on the matter,

Why Housing Affordability is More Complicated Than You Think

You may think you understand housing affordability, but chances are you’re relying on limited measurements. How affordable is Chicagoland’s housing market? The answer to that question is more complicated than meets the eye, and it suggests some very interesting

4 Important Details About Today’s Homebuyers

What are some of the defining traits of homebuyers in today’s housing market? Every spring, Christmas comes early in the form of NAR’s Generational Survey, a massively detailed look at homebuyers, sellers and the generational divides that exist between

Chicagoland’s Most Competitive Suburban Housing Markets

What suburban markets in Chicagoland are seeing the greatest level of competition? Last week, we reported on the top-selling suburbs in Chicagoland, and how the Aurora, Naperville and Joliet markets were once again at the top. Those three communities, though, have

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